Director tweets first image of Batman, Batmobile in 'Man of Steel' sequel

Zack Snyder, director of the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, tweeted a photo of Ben Affleck in the full Batman costume standing next to the redesigned Batmobile for the 2016 film.

NEW ORLEANS -

After teasing fans on Monday with a partial glimpse of the Batmobile for the upcoming "Man of Steel" sequel, Zack Snyder posted a photo to Twitter on Tuesday of the Dark Knight's new ride and Ben Affleck in the bat suit.

Snyder is directing the sequel to last year's "Man of Steel" movie. The film doesn't have a title, but is slated as "Batman vs. Superman" on IMDb.

Snyder posted an image to Twitter on Tuesday, showing Affleck, who will star as Bruce Wayne/Batman, standing next to the new Batmobile.

As the movie continues in pre-production, fans have been eager to get a glimpse of anything related to the "Man of Steel" sequel, where the two will supposedly face off.

Snyder didn't say anything in the tweet related to the movie.

All he said was, "I shot this with my @leica_camera M Monochrom. #Batman #Batmobile #Gotham"

At a glance, the Dark Knight's new ride appears reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's version of the Batmobile, which was called the "Tumbler" in his Dark Knight Trilogy. Affleck faces down, wearing the bat suit, which has smaller bat-ears and less of a body-armor style than Nolan's trilogy.

The upcoming sequel will setup a future Justice League of America film, which was recently announced, and it will be the first time that Batman and Superman will appear in a live-action feature film together.

At the San Diego Comic Con last year, Snyder had actor Harry Lennix read a part of Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" to promote his upcoming sequel.

"I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come, in your most private moments, I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you," Lennix read.

After the actor read the clip, Snyder unveiled a Batman logo with a Superman logo in the middle.

It was a cryptic unveiling, but one that sparked massive interest for fans of the characters. In Miller's book "The Dark Knight Returns" Batman returns to fighting crime after an eight-year hiatus. His return to crime fighting sparked controversy and led to the president to make Superman to go toe-to-toe with the Caped Crusader.

Snyder noted that he wasn't adapting Miller's book, but using that piece to help tell the story he wanted to tell.

The untitled "Batman vs. Superman" movie is set to be released in 2016. No date has been set for the "Justice League" movie.

What do you think of the new bat-images? Share your bat-thoughts in the comments below.

'Does it come in black?' Batmobiles throughout history

'Does it come in black?' Batmobiles throughout history

The Batmobile from the 1966-68 "Batman" TV series starring Adam West was based on a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car.

This version of the Batmobile featured all the essentials for fighting crime, including lasers, rockets, radar, a dash monitor, on-board computer and a police beacon. Source: BatmobileHistory.com

In the summer of 1989, the Batmobile got a new look for the big screen in "Batman," starring Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker.

It would come back for Keaton's second outing as the Caped Crusader in 1992's "Batman Returns."

Some of its finer gadgetry and weaponry include a grappling hook, submachine guns, grenades, full body armor, a hydraulic lift, voice command recognition and oil slick and smoke dispensers.

Val Kilmer took over the cape and cowl in 1995's "Batman Forever," marking a new era for the movie franchise and the Batmobile.

Like Kilmer's stint as Bruce Wayne, this version of the Batmobile only lasted one film and was destroyed by the Riddler before the end of "Batman Forever."

George Clooney became the third actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman on film in less than a decade in 1997's "Batman & Robin."

A new version of the Batmobile equipped with rocket launchers, grappling hooks and a catapult ejection seat was also introduced to the franchise.

This would be the last Batmobile to appear on film until Warner Bros. rebooted the franchise eight years later.

The Batmobile returned to the big screen in a revamped Tumbler style for 2005's "Batman Begins," which restarted the franchise with Christian Bale as a younger Bruce Wayne taking on Gotham's underbelly.

The Tumbler returned for the 2008 sequel "The Dark Knight," but was destroyed after taking a hit from a bazooka fired by the Joker.

Although the Tumbler wasn't without its own surprises...

Prior to being destroyed, Batman was able to escape the Tumbler on the Bat-Pod, a motorcycle-like vehicle used by Christian Bale's Caped Crusader throughout "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises."

Although the classic black version of the Tumbler didn't appear in 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises," the camouflage version returned and was used by Bane to take over Gotham City.

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